Willington Ngwepe, the former CEO of South Africa’s communications regulator Icasa, has been appointed as the CEO of MultiChoice LicenceCo, the entity responsible for managing DStv’s subscription broadcast licences in South Africa.
Ngwepe brings a wealth of executive leadership and regulatory expertise to his new role. Prior to this appointment, he served as the executive head of regulatory affairs at MultiChoice Group, where he played a key role in the company’s interactions with regulatory authorities, including overseeing the approvals process for the Canal+ acquisition across Africa.
MultiChoice LicenceCo was established in anticipation of the acquisition by French broadcasting giant Groupe Canal+. The purpose of creating LicenceCo was to separate MultiChoice’s South African broadcast licensee from the assets being acquired, thereby ensuring compliance with the Electronic Communications Act, which restricts foreign ownership and voting rights in South African broadcast licensees to no more than 20%.
LicenceCo will also serve as the contracting entity for South African subscribers regarding their DStv subscriptions.
AfriFund Investments, a shareholder alongside Identity Partners and the MultiChoice black empowerment scheme Phuthuma Nathi, is led by former Telkom Group CEO Sipho Maseko, who has been appointed as a “board observer” at LicenceCo.
MultiChoice stated, “These developments constitute a significant milestone in strengthening the governance of MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd. The appointment of an experienced and independent board, along with Willington’s leadership as CEO, ensures continuity, compliance, and stability for operations in South Africa.”
Additional Nominations
Ngwepe’s appointment follows the recent completion of Canal+’s acquisition of MultiChoice, which also resulted in David Mignot being named as the new CEO of MultiChoice Group, succeeding Calvo Mawela, who has transitioned to the role of chairman of Canal+ Africa.
Mawela and Mignot have also been nominated to serve on the LicenceCo board, alongside Lerato Pule, nominated by Phuthuma Nathi as its interim representative. Other board nominees include Sonja de Bruyn of Identity Partners and Sizeka Magwentshu-Rustenburg, who will serve as the board chair.